Iv come in and looked but never wrote. Was just talking bout you with tracked wagon about how u got big ass tires and lifted. Doing it BIG. Lol I need the blocks of wood also but to drive up on in order to jack under
I managed to lift the left rear corner another 1.25 inches with an extended tophat, but it wasn't easy!
Had to unbolt the trailing arm pivot and the toe compensator arm just to get the control arm bolts started. I'm hoping this will level the ride height front to rear, and help with the squatting under acceleration. Once the height is set, then I can get it aligned.
So I finally got both spacers on the rear. Tough going, I think I'm at the limit there.
Also changed out the right rear axle, boot was slinging grease.
I'd been having some steering issues under power, today I found the steering rack was moving about. I had doubled the clamp bushings when I deleted power steering and kept the PS crossmember. That rig didn't work so well... At least I know what to fix!
I put it all back in place and adjusted the toe a bit, steers much better. Also installed front swaybar with urethane bushings. That helped a lot with road manners, too.
It does have a manual rack, but still a k-member for power steering. That's the problem. The clamp diameter at the right-hand end of the rack is too large for the skinnier tube of the manual one. I thought I had solved the problem by using both of the clamp liner bushings, but I guess it wasn't tight enough. There's still some wiggle room, and it allowed the bushing to spit out. Every time I'd accelerate the car would jerk to the right, then come back left.
I'll study on it awhile and decide whether to cut out the crossmember or use a different bushing setup
Not quite yet. I don't have it tagged yet, and there are no good places left nearby. That's intentional. If I make it road-legal i'll be out playing instead of working on it!
Still a lot to do before Import Alliance...
See, if you start big projects with much fanfare but then lose focus, folks get the idea that you never finish anything.
haha I'm sure you'll finish this, it's the most badass wagon to have ever existed! Well there is that lifted wide fender wagon truck in europe too, tough competition. lol
Good news, I made a steel sleeve for the rack bushings and installed the rest of the polyurethane kit. Now it steers normally, with no wandering about.
Also installed longer bolts (d16 head bolts lol) and spacers (strut bushing sleeves) in the steer swaybar endlinks. That improved handling as well. As long as the front axles hang together, I think I can finally get it aligned.
This afternoon I installed the blower motor, the AC evaporator, and all the AC lines. I had to tweak the aluminum lines to fit because of the altered engine position, but it will all work out.
Also put on the windshield washer reservoir. Doing all this stuff right now so as to get ready for the front bumper.
Good news, I made a steel sleeve for the rack bushings and installed the rest of the polyurethane kit. Now it steers normally, with no wandering about.
I swapped to manual steering on my wagon and just doubled up the rubber sleeve bushings, but I'm starting to think that might be a temp. fix.
I'm curious to know what you used for the steel sleeve.
It was a scrap of exhaust tubing that I cut to fit in the recess of the inner bushing, i.e. between the two rubbers. I'm not sure that's a permanent solution, I'll be watching it closely.
I may use some urethane adhesive to mold a replacement or to fill between them.
Right.
And since it's the wagon that's still in project mode, it hasn't been used enough to see if the doubling up of the bushing works for prolonged use.
Thanks!
It was a scrap of exhaust tubing that I cut to fit in the recess of the inner bushing, i.e. between the two rubbers. I'm not sure that's a permanent solution, I'll be watching it closely.
I may use some urethane adhesive to mold a replacement or to fill between them.
My spare wheel arrived yesterday. Now I just need to get one more tire and then figure out where to carry the spare!
Also finished up the AC. As I said, it was a task to work the lines around to fit.
You can see above where they bend to get below the throttle body. Originally both went right across the opening.
And then up front was another trick. Had to go under the upper radiator hose and ziptie both to the fan housing.
But I got it all together at last, and vacuumed it for a couple of hours. It held vacuum, so we charged it up !
Comments
And installed a replacement axle on the right steer. This one is an OE reman instead of chinese repop., so maybe we'll be ok.
Yeah slipscreen. My jack and some of my jackstands need blocks to reach!
Had to unbolt the trailing arm pivot and the toe compensator arm just to get the control arm bolts started. I'm hoping this will level the ride height front to rear, and help with the squatting under acceleration. Once the height is set, then I can get it aligned.
whats the top hat look like ..???
i would like to do the small lift n the rear, i also dont like the squatted look
Also changed out the right rear axle, boot was slinging grease.
I'd been having some steering issues under power, today I found the steering rack was moving about. I had doubled the clamp bushings when I deleted power steering and kept the PS crossmember. That rig didn't work so well... At least I know what to fix!
I put it all back in place and adjusted the toe a bit, steers much better. Also installed front swaybar with urethane bushings. That helped a lot with road manners, too.
I'll study on it awhile and decide whether to cut out the crossmember or use a different bushing setup
Still a lot to do before Import Alliance...
See, if you start big projects with much fanfare but then lose focus, folks get the idea that you never finish anything.
That's just a freakin' awesome sight to behold!
Good news, I made a steel sleeve for the rack bushings and installed the rest of the polyurethane kit. Now it steers normally, with no wandering about.
Also installed longer bolts (d16 head bolts lol) and spacers (strut bushing sleeves) in the steer swaybar endlinks. That improved handling as well. As long as the front axles hang together, I think I can finally get it aligned.
Also put on the windshield washer reservoir. Doing all this stuff right now so as to get ready for the front bumper.
and I hesitate to say shadetree...
I swapped to manual steering on my wagon and just doubled up the rubber sleeve bushings, but I'm starting to think that might be a temp. fix.
I'm curious to know what you used for the steel sleeve.
I may use some urethane adhesive to mold a replacement or to fill between them.
And since it's the wagon that's still in project mode, it hasn't been used enough to see if the doubling up of the bushing works for prolonged use.
Thanks!
Also finished up the AC. As I said, it was a task to work the lines around to fit.
You can see above where they bend to get below the throttle body. Originally both went right across the opening.
And then up front was another trick. Had to go under the upper radiator hose and ziptie both to the fan housing.
But I got it all together at last, and vacuumed it for a couple of hours. It held vacuum, so we charged it up !